Tbh money could be the initiative. So many content creators nowadays have platforms beside YouTube. Often even self hosted weboages. If a federated alternative would come up, they could just set up an own server and keep all the earnings.

This would somehow need to get started though. No idea how.

They didn’t capitulate. They never fought. They just did what was the best shot at earning money and gaining ground at the time.

Don’t ever expect moral based behavior in capitalism or geopolitics.